


Push Me Away (but I keep coming back)

by whichstar



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kissing, Mild Smut, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:28:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25238470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whichstar/pseuds/whichstar
Summary: I'll give you two options, the same as before." Mai leaned in. "Would you rather sleep in the guest room, or in my bed."-Katara wants to figure Mai out. Set in the bending universe where the Fire Nation never took over, but went through a cruel regime.
Relationships: Katara/Mai (Avatar)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	1. Push

**Author's Note:**

> Any ship with Mai is valid. This was supposed to be a short one shot and then it spiraled out of control. I honestly have no excuse to why this became a 3 chaptered fic..

When Katara desparately needed someone's touch, Mai was there.

She didn't ask any questions, or expected any answers. She just made Katara feel good.

And really, that was all Katara could ask for.

The two didn't have much in common. Katara was the ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe. Mai was a political figure drifting around the Fire Nation. Katara enjoyed the simple things. Mai seemed to enjoy nothing at all.

But the way she moved. Spirits. Every stroke, every touch was calculated to bring maximum pleasure. Katara was undone in what felt like seconds. She'd never met anyone like this before.

Katara had run into Mai by chance that night. But before that night, she had never even thought about Mai before. It wasn't on purpose. Mai simply blended into the background, easily another face in the crowd. Katara had barely recognized the nonbender when she ran into her.

That day had been stressful. It was her second day at the Fire Nation, and she was losing her mind. Maybe that's why Katara gave in so easily. She was missing home, she was tired of talking about trade routes, and she was so sick of acting polite.

The night she met Mai, Katara found herself wandering. And somehow, she ended up at Mai's house. She didn't even know it was Mai's house. She was lost and confused, looking around when a door opened and a sharp silhouette cut through the sudden light.

"Miss Katara?" a husky voice had called out. "Is that you?"

"Ummm yeah," Katara answered. Squinting to see who it was. "You are?"

"I'm Mai. Come in, it's late."

Katara stood there for a while, weighing her options. Eventually, she came in and was greeted with a cup of tea. She couldn't help but notice that Mai was wearing a robe, which wasn't exactly revealing. But it showed enough by hugging the Fire Nation girl's thin frame tightly. Who could blame Mai, it was night and she wasn't expecting visitors.

They spent some time talking, mainly small talk. Mai didn't speak much. Her expression didn't really change much either, but Katara got the feeling she understood. The waterbender ended up going on a tirade of how stressed she was. She didn't mean to, but Mai was just that easy to talk to.

A brief moment of silence filled the air when Katara finished unpacking all her problems. She then realized, with horror, that she barely even knew Mai, but she was cut off before she could apologize.

"You must be very stressed," Mai started. "Maybe a good sleep would help."

Katara nodded, consciously making an effort to not stare at the opening of Mai's robe. The woman's underwrappings were showing, and her necklace was very ornate. Not that Katara was paying attention, or anything.

"Or." Mai's lips quirked up. "I could help you feel better."

"Feel better?"

"You seem frustrated that things aren't going your way. Maybe I could help with that frustration."

Mai tilted her head, deep tan eyes boring into Katara's soul. Katara couldn't help but internally ask: was this allowed? Didn't the Fire Nation have this rule on one night stands, she remembered someone telling her about it one time.

Katara was silent, thinking, weighing. The last straw came in the form of Mai's husky voice saying her name. And Katara realized she didn't give a damn about etiquette. She wanted someone's touch and she wanted it now.

That night was probably the best night Katara ever had.

Mai had attended to Katara's every hidden desire. Calmly ministering her touches to where Katara wanted them most. Skillfully running her hands down every inch of Katara.

Not once did Mai emit a sound other than slight whispered commands. Katara, however, was a mewling mess. She couldn't bear to suppress her sounds. Not when she felt this good. She was writhing on the sheets, tangled up in the ecstasy.

She fell asleep on Mai's bed. When she woke up, Mai was gone. She'd left behind a map of the neighborhood along with some fruit tarts. A note read: "your clothes are in the restroom, cleaned, please lock the door on your way out."

The house felt empty without Mai's presence. Katara couldn't tell if she was hurt or angered by Mai leaving her alone. But she didn't have the right to be, after all, this was just a one time thing. Right?

It was not a one time thing.

Katara found her way to Mai's doorstep again that same night. And the next. And the next. Mai always handed her a cup of tea, silently listening to Katara's ramblings as the night grew deeper. Somewhat of a friendship was established, in an underhanded way. When the conversation petered to an end, Mai always offered the same two choices. To sleep in the guest room, or sleep in her bed.

Katara always chose the latter.

She was also always the one recieving, and she felt bad about that. It was only fair to help Mai too, but Mai declined every time Katara offered herself up. Refusing to step out of that thin robe of hers. Frankly, those fingers kept Katara distracted enough to not mention it any further. 

Maybe she didn't want Katara in that way. That passing thought hurt more than Katara would care to admit.

Some mornings Mai was gone, off to whatever she did. A handwritten note would always be on the table then, letting Katara know. Other mornings, Mai was up before Katara, sipping a cup of tea as she read a book or wrote something down. Katara liked the days Mai stayed more.

On the mornings Mai stayed, like today, Katara woke up to the smell of tea. She saw Mai in her normal clothes instead of her robe--which was kind of a downgrade, if she was being honest. The robe showed off Mai's... assets... more, while her normal clothes seemed to engulf her lean frame completely in cloth. Her hair was up in twin buns as well, intricately tied up. She was beautiful.

And Katara was getting carried away again. She frowned as she reminded herself that this was a no strings attached relationship. Or, at least, that's what she thought it was. She wasn't exactly sure.

"Good morning, Katara." Mai's greeted, her low voice sending shivers down Katara's spine.

"Good morning, Mai. What are your plans for today?"

Mai glanced up, her tawny eyes trapping Katara in place. "I will be attending your meeting."

Katara froze. "You'll what?"

"Your meeting with Fire Lord Zuko. I'll be there."

The waterbender's heart sinked. She didn't know why, but she was suddenly nervous. Why would Mai be attending her meetings? The last time she did was when Katara first arrived, five days ago, and nothing more. They weren't even discussing the same problem anymore.

"Why?"

"I am the Fire Lord's advisor, among many other things."

"Your an advisor of the Fire Lord?!" Katara blurted. "What??"

Mai just bit into a fruit tart.

Katara shook her head, calming herself. She'd been sleeping with an advisor of the Fire Lord. Did that count as a crime? She didn't think so, but did it?

"To be clear," Mai warned. "I'm not partial to the ones I sleep with. Your plan has to be good for me to agree."

A blush formed on Katara's cheeks. Spirits. Mai expected her plans to be good. She didn't want to let Mai down.

"Have some breakfast." Mai offered, standing up with her empty mug. "I'll be taking my leave, please lock the door on your way out."

The house felt empty once more when the door signaling Mai's exit closed. Katara sighed, burying her face in her hands. She had meetings to get ready for.

Mai blended into the background. Katara usually wouldn't have paid her mind, if not for that reoccurring meeting they kept having in the death of night. The nonbender may stick to the shadows, but Katara had seen how her pale skin gleamed in the moonlight. How could she not notice Mai when they spent the whole night together?

In a room of blank faces, Mai was the only one successfully maintaining hers.

Katara's voice might have shaken slightly while presenting. She also might have felt Mai's eyes on her, but every time she looked up Mai was talking to the Fire Lord. They seemed friendly.

The meeting lasted a long time, and the end was anticipated. Katara noticed how Mai was the first to leave the room when the meeting was declared finished. Katara didn't think anyone else noticed.

Because, as much of a powerful political figure Mai was, her knack of blending in was too strong. Plus, she didn't seem easily convinced by political offers. Katara was glad someone like her was an advisor of the Fire Lord. The Fire Lord seemed to act out emotionally a lot, so he needed some level headed advisors.

And Mai was as level-headed as they came.

Katara first saw a real smile of Mai's that very same day when she was walking down the courtyard. A bright laugh drew her attention to two figures below the tree. The one sitting down was Mai, the other was doing all sorts of stunts from handstands to cartwheels.

Mai was smiling at something the other said. It was a real smile, not one of those faked ones. She seemed genuinely happy. Her eyes crinkled up, her whole expression brightened.

Katara may or may not have been standing in place for too long. She caught herself and kept walking, face burning, breath quickening. No. She did not feel anything with that smile. Who cared if Mai smiled?

She wanted to see Mai's smile again.

Spirits help her.

Mai spent the whole day in the palace grounds. Katara stole glances whenever they were in the same room. She noticed how Mai held herself with a quiet grace, how her voice was measured in a monotone drawl. This was someone who grew up in the politics of court. Someone well versed in it.

Not for the first time did Katara wonder about Mai's background. But she didn't pry, she had no right to. They'd known each other for less than a week. Katara didn't even know if they were at the close friendship stage yet.

The thought of her having no right to know anything about Mai hurt her more than she'd care to admit.

"You had a nice structure of the plan," Mai had admitted later that night over tea.

Katara beamed. "Really?"

"Let's just hammer out the details."

They didn't have sex that night. The night instead was spent tirelessly on the plans for trade agreements. Mai was ever so diligent in making sure the Fire Nation remained on equal footing. Katara was the same way, but it didn't stop her from getting distracted by how serious Mai's face looked while lost in thought.

Because Mai was so, so attractive while being 100% professional.

Even if Katara hadn't gotten what she came for that night, she still felt as electric as ever. Mai's presence just did that to her. She didn't know how.

When Katara walked out of the guest room in the morning, she found Mai sleeping on the table. She barely remembered the Fire Nation advisor sending her off to sleep.

Mai was cute when she was sleeping, Katara decided. She didn't want to bother Mai's rest, so Katara decided to brew the tea today. It was an excuse to waterbend, and the polite thing to do, Katara convinced herself. She definitely wasn't doing it just because she wanted to, or because she wanted to see Mai smile.

The tea was almost ready when Mai woke up with a start. She blearily glanced around before rushing to her room to get changed. Katara stared questioningly. Why was Mai in such a rush?

Mai stepped out in record time, or what Katara assumed was record time, deftly tying her hair.

"Want some tea?" Katara offered.

"No time. I'm sorry, Katara, but I'm late." Mai bowed apologetically.

If Katara didn't know any better she would've thought Mai sounded afraid. Katara gazed at the door as it clicked shut, mildly disappointed. She had just finished making the tea.

She didn't see Mai's smile again for the remainder of her ambassador trip. It was a shame, really, that she couldn't. Seeing Mai's smile felt like a dream.

She remembered saying goodbye to Mai, who simply nodded in farewell. They both knew it was coming. Katara had wanted to hug, but held herself back from the desire. She had no right to hug one of the Fire Lord's advisors. Did she? Fire Nation customs still confused her.

It hurt that Mai didn't look like she cared.

Back home, Mai was like a distant memory Katara had from time to time. Sometimes she would wake up to phantom touches, a familiar voice in her ear.

And whenever she woke up with these thoughts of Mai, Katara wondered how Mai was doing.

Katara was doing fine. She didn't miss Mai's calming presence at all. Well, she wouldn't admit that she did.

Honestly, Katara wanted to go back to the peaceful mornings filled with brewed tea and silence. Silence was a luxury here at the Southern Water Tribe. It was strange how she longed for someone's place, where she only stayed for a week, more than her house back here.

She didn't even know what kind of tea Mai drank until she stumbled upon that exact same scent the other day. Her nose led her to the local herb shop. Katara never visited it often.

An old lady was sipping tea outside. She smiled at the ambassador. Her tea smelled like the same flavor of Mai's, and jolted Katara's brain back to memories of the Fire Nation. Katara hesitantly asked the lady for the flavor.

"Oh! It's jasmine tea." The lady chuckled. "It's especially popular in the Fire Nation."

"Fire Nation?"

A warm nod came from the old lady. "Jasmine means beauty and sensuality. Would you like to try?"

Katara ended up buying a pack.


	2. and

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara meets Mai in the Earth Kingdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mai is hot. Katara is hot. We have no choice but to stan.

Katara saw Mai again at the Earth Kingdom. She heard Mai's laugh then too.

The ambassador had decided to visit a popular vacation destination in a show of good faith with the Earth Kingdom. She wasn't expecting Mai to be there.

But, as Katara was sitting on a lounge near a hot spring, she saw two people walking her way. Her eyes widened as she recognized the unmistakable figure of Mai. She was still drowning in those huge robes of hers. She was laughing.

Fire Lord Zuko was the one who made Mai laugh.

For an instant, Katara was pleased to hear the sound. It was special, and oh so rare. Then, she saw Mai place a hand on Zuko's arm and envy overtook her.

Was she _jealous_?

She has no right to be. And that thought hurt Katara a lot more than she cared to admit.

Thankfully the duo changed their direction towards an ice cream stand before they crossed paths. Katara didn't know what she'd do if Mai saw her.

They officially met at a political dinner. Mai sat next to her. Katara tried to make conversation, but it didn't flow as it did back then. Mai was like a stone wall, impassive and silent.

Before they said their goodbyes, though, Mai slipped Katara a piece of paper. It read a room number, and a time.

Mai kept Katara waiting for a while before opening the door. Of course she did, this was just like another game of politics and Mai was the master of that specific court.

"What's your standing with Zuko." Katara demanded as soon as the door clicked closed behind her.

"I'm his advisor."

"Well.. anything else?" Katara stuttered out, suddenly nervous.

Mai's face stayed emotionless. "Do you really want to know?"

Katara lowered her head. No, she didn't want to know.

"Tea?" Mai offered after a brief silence, moving to another side of the room. She still had her day clothes on.

Katara nodded, sitting on a chair.

"I'm not planning on sleeping with you today." The nonbender informed her.

"Then why did you invite me here?" Katara asked, groaning inside. It wasn't like they got to meet often, and Mai didn't take off her own clothes anyways. It was always Katara the one exposing herself, never the other way around.

"You seemed stressed, and it's been a while. Talk to me."

And so Katara did. They talked late into the night. After a while, Mai lifted an eyebrow at Katara's neverending complaints.

"It seems like you're a lot more frustrated than I thought."

"Huh?"

"I changed my mind. I'll give you two options, the same as before." Mai leaned in. "Would you rather sleep in the guest room or my bed."

As always, Katara chose the latter.

It was a challenge, to be silent. They didn't know how thick the walls here were, and Mai wasn't they type to take chances. Katara agreed to stay quiet, but she struggled. Mai sometimes had to cover Katara's mouth so no one could hear her.

It was exhilarating, it was electrifying. Mai's calculating fingers nimbly danced all over her. At one point Katara had to bite into the sheets to keep from screaming. Just as Mai promised, it left Katara feeling so much better.

"Why?" Katara had asked the Fire Nation woman, after. Usually Katara went straight to sleep, tired from a long day, but she was restless today. Seeing Mai with Zuko set her off.

"Why what."

"Why do you never take off your clothes?"

Mai was silent. "Good night, Katara."

Katara waited for Mai to fall asleep. She waited to hear Mai's breath evening out before sitting up to look upon the rare moments of when the nonbender relaxed.

Mai slept on her back, and she was still very cute when she slept. Perhaps even cuter than the last time she saw the advisor sleep. Katara felt her heart stutter seeing Mai's face so relaxed. She buried her face into her hands. Oh no.

What was she _thinking_?

It was obvious Mai offered the same thing she did to Katara for other people. It was crystal clear that in exchange for political rambles the advisor repaid with her special talents. It was reasonable to guess that was how she knew all the dirty deeds of every political figure. She probably slept with Zuko too. The thought made Katara sick.

Another glance at Mai stopped Katara's train of thought instantly. Soft moonlight glanced off Mai's black hair. Her bangs stopped right before her eyes, framing her face. Spirits. Katara was entranced.

Sighing, she pulled the covers over Mai, carefully tucking her in. How innocent she seemed compared to her dangerous air of mystery in court.

She froze when Mai shifted, heartbeat in her throat. A breath of relief was let out when Mai didn't wake.

Katara laid back in bed, feeling the bedsheets over her naked body. She fell asleep remembering Mai's laugh from the afternoon. It was mixed with Zuko's laugh. Katara hated that.

Mai was gone when she woke. Typical. A note was left on top of Katara's folded dress. It read: "have a good day, make sure no one sees you on your way out."

The fruit tart next to the dress made Katara smile.

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. Except for the fact that Katara couldn't get the thought of Mai's laugh out of her mind. Or her smile.

Just once. Just once she wanted to be the cause of Mai's laugh, of Mai's smile. Katara groaned out loud while relaxing in a hot spring, she was driving herself insane. She needed to stop thinking about Mai.

Mai wasn't at dinner, but Zuko was. That didn't make sense, Zuko almost always had Mai with him. When Katara questioned him, he waved her off. Mai was fulfilling some "business" she had to attend to, he claimed.

"Not many people realize she's gone." Zuko's eyes narrowed at Katara. "Why do you care?"

Katara stuttered out some silly excuse before hurrying back to her chair. The seat next to her remained empty the whole time.

She tried not to worry. It was a futile effort. Sokka always described her as an overbearing mother. Maybe she was.

Worry was why she knocked on Mai's room that night. She didn't even know if Mai was back from her "business," whatever that was. Katara didn't even want to guess.

There was no response. Katara waited as long as she dared before going back to her own room. The worry burrowing deeper into her gut.

Mai wasn't there the next dinner, but she did open her door when Katara knocked. She looked the same, more or less, but Katara could tell she was more on edge than usual.

"What do you want?" Mai questioned.

"Can I come in first?"

A sigh was let out, Mai looked up to the ceiling as if she was annoyed. That was the most emotion Katara had ever elicted from the advisor. Mai moved back, closing the door after Katara stepped in.

"Why are you here."

"I was worried. Where were you?"

"Taking care of business."

"What kind?"

"Does it matter?"

"I guess not," Katara sighed.

Mai studied the waterbender with her usual intensity. "It isn't what your thinking."

"Then what is it?!" Katara demanded forcefully. She was getting exasperated at Mai's unwillingness to answer.

Another sigh came out Mai's lips. An eyebrow twitched up.

"We're barely friends."

"So?"

Maybe Mai realized that Katara wouldn't be leaving without all the answers. So, she sighed. Again.

"I would usually kick anyone out right now but if you really want to know, you can stay."

Katara's confusion was obvious. She stared as Mai opened her windows, letting the fresh air in. Mai was limping. Why was she _limping_?

"What?"

Mai just raised her hand. She slowly folded her fingers down one by one, counting down.

When the last finger was folded, something--no someone--came crashing through the window.

On response, Mai sent something flying from from her sleeves, were those.. knives? They pinned the man straight to the wall through his clothes. Katara couldn't fathom the amount of power it took to throw knives that pinned a grown man into walls.

The fight was over before it could start. Mai looked slightly amused at the gaping Katara. She walked towards the man, her uneven steps making it more ominous. She leaned back on the balls of her feet while the man struggled.

"I'm guessing you were planned to do this after Mr. Yu got captured." Mai sounded bored. "You sucked at covering your tracks."

"What are you going to do with me? You're just a girl," snarled the man.

A knife embedded itself right next to the man's ear. Katara gulped. She didn't even see that coming, Mai had moved so fast.

"Watch the prisoner." Mai ordered, closing the windows. She then limped out the door.

Katara just gaped. Watch the what? She didn't even need to do anything, it looked like Mai had it covered. Why did Mai leave? Wary, she opened her waterbending bottle and froze the prisoner's limbs. Just in case.

In a while, Mai came back with Zuko and some guards. Zuko cheered, giving Mai a nudge on the shoulder when he saw the prisoner. Mai tried to cover her wince, but Katara saw.

"What would we do without you." Zuko was saying before he spotted Katara.

"She won't tell." Mai quickly assured the Fire Lord before be could speak.

Zuko frowned, glaring at Katara. Katara glared back.

"Guards, take the prisoner in." Zuko finally ordered. "You two can leave it to us now."

Katara, as confused as ever, unfroze the prisoner and followed Mai out the door. She kept following the limping Mai till they reached the hot springs.

Surprisingly, it was Mai who broke the silence first.

"Any questions, comments, or concerns?" She quipped dryly, sitting on a lawn chair.

"Yeah, a lot of those." Katara scoffed. "What are you, really?"

"Tracking bad guys is what I do on the down low."

"Bounty hunting?"

"Something like that."

Mai's face was impossible to read. Katara hated not being able to tell what kind of thoughts were racing through that mind.

In the silence, Katara remembered that Mai had a limp, and her eyes softened. How could she forget? She knelt down to Mai's feet.

"Can I see your injury?" Katara asked. She said it gently, as if Mai was a animal who'd run away.

Mai shifted uncomfortably. For once, her eyes didn't meet Katara's head on.

"I can help. Healing waterbender, remember." Katara tried to lighten the tension.

"Fine," Mai grumbled. She lifted up the hem of her baggy dress, and then quickly unattached a holster of stilettoes before taking off her shoe and rolling up her pant leg.

Katara ended up gaping again. Who wore this many layers? How heavy were those holsters? Did this mean the whole time they hung out Mai had, like, a dozen knives on her? Suddenly, Katara felt a lot more vulnerable.

That was an ugly wound. Katara was actually surprised Mai could walk. The ankle was swollen, looking burnt and angry. Katara felt a sense of rage come over her, the rage she got whenever someone she cared for got hurt.

Cared for. That thought hit Katara like a bullet to her gut. She cared for Mai. Sh-

"A firebender put my leg on fire and while stamping it out I sprained my ankle." Mai interrupted Katara's wild thoughts.

"Firebender?"

"You'd be surprised at how many went rogue after we overthrew Ozai."

Katara decided to ignore that comment and instead bended some of the hot spring water into her hands. A blue glow suffused the water as she started the healing process. She furrowed her brows, the energies were clotting in that area.

Mai looked on half-interestedly. Her ankle felt warm, but not overbearingly so. Somehow her heart felt warm as well, was that part of the healing proccess? She decided it felt nice.

Who knows how long the two were outside. Katara surely didn't, and she wasn't about to ask Mai. She glanced up at Mai, who--unsurprisingly--was looking at her ankle with interest. It was probably her first time dealing with this form of waterbending.

Mai met her gaze, her interested expression quickly rearranging itself to a disinterested one. She cocked her head, giving Katara a chilling smirk.

"Are you done?"

"I.. uh yeah.." Katara shrugged. "The hot springs water isn't that great to heal with, so it'll be tender for a day or two."

Mai frowned.

"Waterbending isn't a cure all," Katara said, defensive.

Touchy nonbenders, thinking benders could do everything. But as soon as Katara thought that, she knew Mai wasn't like that. Mai didn't care if one was a bender or not, she just cared about how one could be useful to her. Or at least, that's what Katara assumed.

Mai waved her hand. "That's not why I was frowning."

Katara tilted her head.

"I just realized I don't have a room. The guards took it over."

"Oh."

A sigh was let out. Mai seemed to have a neverending resource of sighs, with all of them meaning different things. Katara wanted to decipher them all.

"Guess I'll book a hotel. This place was getting too boring anyways."

"Wait!"

Katara shrank back once she blurted out that word. Mai fixed her with a curious gaze.

"You could.." Katara stuttered. "You could stay in my room for the night."

Oh. Now this was interesting. Mai leaned forward, looking down upon the kneeling Katara.

"Really?" She sounded dubious.

"Yeah." Katara trailed off, averting her eyes.

Mai moved to fix her pants, gingerly pulling the cloth over her ankle. She pulled her shoe on, then made a move for her stiletto holsters-

That's when Katara grabbed her wrist. Successfully preventing Mai from touching her holster of blades.

"You aren't gonna put those back on, are you?"

"Why would I not?"

Katara stared. Was that supposed to be a genuine question?

"It's going to put unnecessary pressure on your ankle. It'll chafe the wound."

Mai sighed, again. "Fine."

Katara let go of the girl's wrist, watching Mai cradle the stilletos to her chest. The waterbender stood up, dusting off her clothes.

"Come on, my room is this way."

The walk was silent. Katara could feel Mai still limping behind her, albeit not as severely. She desperately wanted to offer up some support, but resisted the sentiment. Mai would not like being a burden--even if she wasn't one.

When the doors closed shut behind them, and Mai surveyed her room, Katara felt herself flush.

"Would you like tea?"

Mai's slight nod was almost indiscernable. She sat down on one of the chairs, rolling up her layers to see her limp again. It looked better, of all things considered.

When Katara set down some jasmine tea right in front of her, she smiled. It was small, barely noticible. But Katara saw how Mai's eyes slightly crinkled upwards, and her heart soared. Inches for miles, after all, or maybe milimeters for centimeters in this case. Maybe she did mean something to Mai.

The thought made Katara unreasonably happy.

After some tea, Katara realized something. "Hey, do you have nightclothes?"

"It appears that I have not," Mai replied drily.

"Oh.. want me to get you some?"

"A tunic please, and I'll just wear my inner layers. If you don't mind."

"Not at all!" Katara hurriedly assured the taller. Just how many layers did Mai wear?

The answer was three.

Let's not ask how Katara found out.

Unless you, by chance, did want to know. Which then the narrator would like to tell you to get your mind out of the gutter.

"Here."

Katara handed Mai a blue, shapeless, long-sleeve tunic, which Mai took to the restroom. In a bit, Mai returned wearing Water Tribe blue --a color Katara never thought she would get to see on Mai. She liked how it looked on the taller.

Mai was bogged down with her folded clothes. Katara counted two different articles of clothing and mentally added them to what Mai mentioned as the inner layer, which were pants. So Mai wore three layers, interesting.

Katara didn't get to see where all the knives were, disappointingly. She just saw holsters upon holsters on top of the folded clothes.

When the clothes were put down on a shelf, Katara saw that Mai was wearing a belt-like contraption around her thin waist. It hung like armor, bunching up the tunic, and held what seemed to be an endless amount of sharp objects. Mai unbuckled the belt, placing it carefully beside her other clothes. The tunic fell past her hips.

Katara kept herself from making a quip.

Mai gave herself a once-over, seeming satisfied with her outfit. She seemed lost in thought, somewhat. It was hard to tell. Katara couldn't help but notice that the deep red pants sticking out of the blue tunic hugged her legs very well. She didn't think the tunic would be that short on the nonbender, but it was.

"So, ready for bed?" Katara finally asked.

Mai shrugged.

The remainder of the night passed by uneventfullly. Mai was gone when Katara woke up, the blue tunic neatly folded up on the table. No note was left behind. The Fire Lord was gone too.

Katara didn't see Mai for a long time after that.


	3. Pull

On her next visit to the Fire Nation, she was there to attend a party. Fire Lord Zuko's birthday party, to be exact. It was a big political gathering, and it involved something Katara wasn't the best at: staying still.

The Southern Water Tribe loved dancing, dancing was a way of celebration and expression. The Fire Nation, on the other hand, didn't do it as much. Katara understood that the cruel regime of Sozin through Ozai had limited their creative freedom, and that the Fire Nation was still trying to recover. She just was upset that recovering their cultural dances wasn't that high on the list.

Due to the momentous occasion, the whole week was open for visitors from all over the world. Most political figures stayed the whole week. Katara ended up cutting her time short.

The reason was Mai, of course.

Katara had knocked on Mai's doors as soon as she stepped off the ship. No reply. The house seemed empty.

She stood there for a bit, waiting, when a voice called out to her.

"Are you here for Mai?"

Katara spun around to meet a familiar face. It was the face of the person who made Mai smile last time Katara was here. Ty Lee, a close friend of Mai, and someone Katara had formed a borderline friendship with since meeting her at various gatherings.

"Kind of, we formed a trading agreement together the last time I was here and I just wanted to check up on it." Katara told a half-truth.

Ty Lee tilted her head, her usual smile seeming empty. "You probably won't see her till the party."

"Why? Isn't she home?" Katara pointed to the doors behind her.

"Her home?" Ty Lee's face fell into confusion, then realization. "Oh, you don't know."

"Know what."

"Nevermind." Ty Lee attempted a reassuring smile. "Nothing important."

Katara crossed her arms. Mai just had to be full of secrets, didn't she.

She left feeling a mix of disappointment and worry. Just as Ty Lee said, Katara didn't see Mai till the party.

The party was grandiose, of course it was, Fire Lord Zuko was holding it. Katara found her eyes wandering to where his advisors would stand, but didn't see Mai. Her frown deepened when she saw General Iroh sitting where Mai's position should be during the feast.

Not for the first time, Katara cursed Mai for being extremely good at blending in. Her eyes scoured the head table, finally landing on the reason behind Katara's worry.

Oh. Oh wow.

Mai's outfit was definitely not what Katara was expecting. She thought Mai would still wear those needlessly baggy robes, not a short cape covering a tight fitting article of clothing. A golden brooch held the cape in place, and the darker red top slashed a diagonal across Mai's stomach. Katara couldn't see where the slash ended and what it revealed from her vantage point.

Katara suddenly felt thirstier than ever. She gulped down her water, forcing her eyes to wander away from Mai.

Next to Mai is someone who looked like he was double the age of the advisor. He drank and laughed heartily, a big contrast to the poker-faced Mai. Grey hair dotted his beard, and though he laughed easily, his face seemed cruel.

Katara noticed how his hand, the one closer to Mai never, rose up, but his shoulder seemed to be moving.

Suddenly, she felt sick.

The sick feeling only got worse when she spotted Mai and the older man linking arms and greeting people after the feast. Mai leaned into him, ever so slightly, but was careful not to lean too much. Her stoic expression never faltered.

As sick as she felt, Katara got the answer to her question of Mai's outfit. The red top did reveal some skin. Mai's toned stomach could be partially seen before her skirt came to meet where the diagonal ended. A sash the same color of the cape went around the skirt, being held up by another golden brooch right below Mai's belly button.

That's the most skin Katara had ever seen on Mai.

"How much are you willing to bet that it's an arranged marriage." Sokka siddled up to her.

"Huh?" Katara tore her eyes away from Mai's stomach.

"The couple you're looking at." Sokka took a bite of an apple. "Oh! They're coming our way."

Katara's head spun around from Sokka to see Mai, and the man approach them. The man stopped in front of Katara, Mai in front of Sokka.

"It's an honor to meet the Southern Water Tribe ambassadors." The man bowed his head, and Mai followed suit.

"It's an honor to meet you as well." Sokka took charge.

"I'm Keeper Yang, I oversee Boiling Rock."

"The prison?" Sokka sounded mildly impressed. "That's a long way off from here."

"Indeed it is. This is my wife Mai."

Mai bowed her head again. "Pleasure to meet you."

Katara froze. His WHAT?!

"The pleasure's ours." Katara managed to splutter out after a brief silence.

Mai fixed Katara with a bone-chilling stare, daring her to go on. Katara grimly lowered her head in response before turning back to the conversation. She could wear a mask too.

"Yes, it actually was an arranged marriage," Yang was saying to Sokka. "I actually had my eyes on little Mai since she was fifteen."

Gross. The Keeper glanced at Mai, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Mai slightly bared her neck to the older man, playing her part as a submissive wife perfectly.

There was a bruise there.

There was a fucking bruise on Mai's neck.

Spirits.

Mai carefully shifted her shoulder, the cape covering it up as quickly as Katara noticed. Katara could easily guess that the bruise wasn't supposed to show.

Yang's leer grew bigger.

The two Fire Nation people left the conversation, off to meet another political party. Mai showed no sign of injury anywhere else, but Katara knew how high the nonbender's pain tolerance was. As Mai and the Keeper sauntered away, the siblings shared a disgusted look.

"She was fifteen?" Sokka whispered, aghast. He hadn't caught a glimpse of the bruise.

Katara just shook her head again, eyes trailing after Mai. What other secrets are you hiding, she desperately wanted to yell out: What's really behind that carefully put up mask?

The party was a total bust. Katara's mood was ruined right when she learned Mai was a married woman. Maybe even before then. She headed out to the balcony, in need of fresh air. The moon comforted her.

Mai found Katara there. She joined the waterbender leaning against the railing, looking out at the moon.

"I'm sorry, you know."

Katara was silent.

Mai shifted around, staring directly into Katara's head. The waterbender was resolutely looking ahead. Everything else seemed to fade into the background.

"You have a bruise on your neck." Katara finally said.

"Could be worse"

That off-handed comment did it. Katara snapped her head towards Mai.

Mai seemed unsurprised, waiting for an onslaught of words that never came.

"When did you marry him?" Katara asked, letting out a deep breath.

"Age sixteen. He wanted my uncle's position at Boiling Rock, I was the best way to assure that."

"Did he.. you know.."

Mai rolled her eyes, as if detached from her own life story. "I was groomed to be a wife. I even had pleasure classes."

Katara's eyes softened.

"It's not so bad, I suppose." Mai's flat voice continued. "He doesn't visit as often nowadays. He was here the last time you visited too."

A boiling pit formed in Katara's stomach.

"Just saying in case you were wondering why I left in the mornings, sometimes, that's why."

So that's why she looked almost afraid that one morning.

"The house you visited me in is actually my parent's. They're dead now, so I guess it's mine. Not that I consider it home."

So that's why Ty Lee faltered.

Katara shifted her feet. "So from a loveless marriage to bounty hunting, what else do you do?"

"I've been told I'm a good stress reliever." Mai's smile didn't reach her eyes.

That just made Katara feel guilty. She, just like everyone else, had used Mai for a personal gain. A personal pleasure.

"Anything for yourself?"

Mai simply shook her head, glancing back at the party behind them.

"My husband's probably looking for me."

She left Katara alone with only the moon to keep her company. The ambassador buried her face in her hands. Spirits, what was she going to do?

Sokka protested the thought of leaving the week long celebration early, but Katara wasn't taking no for an answer. She was determined to go back home and clear out her head.

Once home, she came across her jasmine tea set while unpacking and cried.

Katara's next encounter with Mai was on another one of her visits to the Fire Nation. It wasn't that long after Zuko's wreck of a birthday week. Mai was apart of the welcoming crew, blending into the background as always. She seemed a bit more faded than usual. That worried Katara, and she cursed herself for feeling worried for someone who willingly cheated.

Her feet found their way to Mai's house that night. Again.

There was no response when she knocked, but the lights remained on. Katara tentatively tried the door to find that it was unlocked. Before thinking things through, Katara walked in.

The light came from Mai's bedroom, the door open. Katara softly padded to where the light poured out, only to see a half-dressed Mai sitting on the ground with her back to the door. The nonbender had her pants on, but her upper body was bare except for her underwrappings. She was cleaning her knives.

Katara stood stunned in front of the doorway, watching Mai clean her knives from behind. Old bruises dotted her body. A familiar sense of rage rose up in Katara.

"You do know it's rude to walk in unannounced," Mai called from her spot on the ground.

"You left the door unlocked."

"Did I?" Mai seemed disinterested. She unsheathed another knife. "How silly of me."

Mai seemed strangely vulnerable in this moment, even though Katara knew that wasn't the case. Mai would've shot her down ages ago if she wanted to. Good thing she didn't want to.

There were scratches on Mai's back.

Katara moved to take a step when Mai's voice stopped her.

"Don't you dare take another step."

"Why?"

"Just don't." Mai's shoulders shrugged, hunching over a bit more.

Tears pricked at Katara's eyes. She didn't know why. "Talk to me."

"What do I have to say?"

"I don't know, anything. Good or bad. Just talk to me."

The continuous polishing of a knife stopped. Mai set down the knife she was working on and moved to pick up a dart.

"Come on, Mai."

No reply. Just the methodical motions of polishing a blade.

Katara was the one sighing this time.

"I guess I could start with my latest catch." Mai started eventually. "I could tell you what kind of criminals they were."

A stiletto was picked up.

"I can talk about Yang, if you want me to."

She polished the handle with a cloth.

"Or maybe you want to know about my relationship with Zuko and Ty Lee."

She moved on to the blade, picking up a different cloth with a different ointment.

"But I have a feeling that's not what you want to talk about."

"This isn't about me."

"Oh? Then do tell, is it about me?" Mai chuckled humorlessly. "I have nothing to say about myself."

"What do you mean?"

"The shadows, Katara, I work in the shadows. Everything out of the shadows have been clear cut and decided for me since I was born. I don't make decisions in the light, I follow them."

"What does that got to do with anything?"

Mai glanced over her shoulder. Her bangs were getting longer, Katara noticed.

"Everything."

That was the last blade she needed to clean. Mai started packing up her polishing set, placing everything back perfectly in place. She stood up, back still facing Katara. A sigh escaped her lips.

"You're gonna get mad."

"W- what?"

"It's what you do. You're prone to boiling over, acting out when you think something's immoral. Although you don't do it often around me. I'm just saying that you're gonna get mad."

Mai turned to face her, eyes lowered. Her hands seemed to reach for something to hold, it wasn't until later Katara realized she was reaching for a knife that wasn't there.

Katara breathed out slowly. "Spirits."

She started towards the nonbender, hands reaching out, but she was stopped by the same cold voice again.

"Don't."

Mai shifted, arms limp against her sides. Her neck and collarbone may as well have been a crisscross of reds and purples. The hickeys were strategically placed, stopping right where the neckline of the robes would be.

"Yang left a few days ago." was the only explanation given.

Katara didn't know what to say. She didn't dare to come closer, but placed a hand on the bottle attached to her belt.

"Agni knows why I let you in." Mai rubbed her head like she had a headache. "Maybe I wanted you to find me like this. Maybe I was tired of keeping secrets."

  
That spurred Katara into action. She refused to just stand there and do nothing. Ignoring Mai's warnings, she stepped closer and pulled Mai into a hug.

  
She tried to not let the height difference affect her too much. Now was not the time.

  
"Well," Mai said. "I wasn't expecting that."

  
In response, Katara popped open her bending water and went to work healing the taller's wounds. It pleased her to see the hickeys disappear. Mottled purple fading into an off-white. Yang didn't deserve to have any hold on Mai's skin. He didn't deserve Mai at all.

  
She moved on to Mai's back once her neck was finished. She tried to keep her emotions to herself, but rage seethed out in waves.

  
Mai sighed as she felt the welts smooth out, it was a sigh unlike all the other ones she emitted so far. This one was breathier. Katara could feel herself go still. The sound was small, tiny, and so unprompted--so unlike any of her other sighs--that Katara could feel the nonbender's emotional walls cracking. Every other sound Mai made was controlled, thought over, calculated, but this one.. this one had feeling. This one came totally unplanned.

  
She wanted to hear Mai make that sound again.

  
Katara shook her head, focusing back on the task at hand. How disgusting it was that she was thinking all these dirty things when Mai was healing. She felt the energies smooth back into place as she finished up. The blue glow disappeared as she moved the remaining water back into her bottle.

  
The healer moved back in front of Mai, looking up at her with concerned eyes. Mai's tawny eyed looked straight back. An eon passed, and then Mai did the unthinkable.

  
She bared her neck, a sign of submission. Something Mai didn't do often. Katara didn't know whether to feel honored that Mai trusted her or upset that she was reminded of Mai baring her neck for Yang at the party. She decided on a mix of both.

  
Slowly, gently, Katara reached up to wrap her arms around Mai's neck. Mai didn't hug back, but she relaxed ever so slightly. A big improvement for the nonbender. Her neck was still bared, and Katara could see all the grooves and vessels under the now clean skin.

  
"You must be very stressed," Katara quoted from their first encounter. "Maybe a good sleep would help."

  
A smile made its way onto Katara's lips. She reached up on her toes to softly kiss right below Mai's jawline.

  
"Or," she let her voice drop down to a whisper. "I could help you feel better."

  
Mai went very still. Her eyes roved around the ceiling as if searching for an answer from above. But she didn't protest to Katara herding her into bed, laying her down gently and leaving soft kisses all over where the old marks used to be. In fact, she only bared her neck more when Katara climbed on top of her.

  
They didn't go past the kissing that night. Even if both of them wanted to. Katara was very careful to not leave any signs of what she did. Only when she heard another breathy sigh escape Mai's lips and saw Mai's eyes close in satisfaction, she quickly finished up her butterfly kisses and laid down on Mai's side. She pulled the covers over them, engulfing Mai in a hug.

  
Mai didn't pull away.

  
And really, that was all Katara could ask for.

  
She didn't ask any questions, or expected any answers. She just wanted to make Mai feel good.

  
When Katara desparately needed someone's touch, Mai was there. Now, Katara would repay the favor.

  
She didn't know how this would work out, or what the consequences could be. But it would be okay, it had to be. For Mai's sake. Sure, the girl could push her away, like she did so many times before, but Katara would just keep coming back. Like relentless waves eroding Mai's frozen heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be a rare pair, but I did say that Mai×any Female Character has potential and I am here to prove it.

**Author's Note:**

> Updates every other day? Weekly? Depends on my patience, which isn't that great. I already wrote the whole thing, but I'm dragging it out for the dramatics. Hope you enjoyed!


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